Guelph has been talking about a south end recreation centre for a long, long time. A 1991 recreation and parks master plan recommended land be bought for a community park, including a community centre. There’s now a park with ball diamonds, but south enders are still waiting for a recreation centre to be built on the site south of Clair Road.
A consultants’ study made public in July 2009 reported the price tag for a south end rec centre had soared to between $42 million and $51 million. It also said the site might not be big enough for all of the centre’s main recommended uses.
Now city hall is taking another look at Guelph’s recreational needs, including the best use of existing facilities and what amenities people would like to see in a south end rec centre. The city is seeking input to a survey until March 28, and it has other plans for getting public feedback before a report goes to council in June. With expensive plans for Baker Street redevelopment set to return to council in May, it will be interesting indeed to see what staff say in their June report – four months before the next civic election.